as in stronghold
a structure or place from which one can resist attack
the boys built a snow fortress and then challenged the neighborhood kids to an in-your-face snowball fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fortress
Hiking trails crisscross the island, too, leading to scenic overlooks, including Fort Royal, a hilltop fortress with sweeping views of Dubrovnik and its iconic city walls across the Adriatic.
—
Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
According to Netanyahu, the Israeli military on May 30 captured Beaufort Castle, a historic fortress that sits roughly 9 miles from the Israeli-Lebanese border.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 31 May 2026
The Beaufort fortress, perched high atop Lebanon’s rolling green hills and overlooking the Litani River, has been a strategic military asset for centuries.
—Arkansas Online, 31 May 2026
But many Americans have come to treat their home as a private fortress.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortress
Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
According to Netanyahu, the Israeli military on May 30 captured Beaufort Castle, a historic fortress that sits roughly 9 miles from the Israeli-Lebanese border.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 31 May 2026
The Beaufort fortress, perched high atop Lebanon’s rolling green hills and overlooking the Litani River, has been a strategic military asset for centuries.
—Arkansas Online, 31 May 2026
But many Americans have come to treat their home as a private fortress.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortress
Noun
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Iowa voters head to the polls Tuesday for primary elections that have become one of Democrats’ key focuses in their bid to claw back power in a state that once helped launch former President Barack Obama to the White House but has since become a Republican stronghold.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
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This remarkably intact 19th-century stronghold saw use during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2026
Noun
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One of the oldest citadels in the Middle East, Jerash has seen an unbroken chain of human occupation since the Bronze Age.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
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Paton, 52, was in Peru with his wife to hike the Inca Trail, a popular route that ends at Machu Picchu, a citadel built by the Incas in the 15th century.—
Sam Peters,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
Noun
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With the growing threat has come greater fortification—so much so that the White House complex can be thought of as the new Green Zone.—
Matt Viser,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
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Built as a Crusader castle around the 12th century on top of previous fortifications, it has also been used by Saladin’s Jerusalem army, Mamluks, Ottomans, the French and the Palestine Liberation Organization.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Israeli troops have been advancing for days in villages close to Beaufort castle.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
-
Israeli forces seized a 12th-century Crusader castle in southern Lebanon, as Israel intensifies its farthest incursion into the country in 26 years, despite a nominal ceasefire.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
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This family home was a bastion of social and political life for many years before it was abandoned in the second World War, eventually becoming a shelter for those displaced.—
Katie Silcox,
Vogue,
28 May 2026
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Like Heated Rivalry before it, Off Campus presents the stereotypically male sport not as a bastion of aggressive masculinity, but as a space for community and care.—
Anna Rinderspacher,
Glamour,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
At the end of one of the castle’s walkways, after a turn or two—by electric cart, bicycle, or on foot—and with the air filled with the scent of pine, rosemary, and jasmine, the sentinels are waiting, carved into the rock where the fort’s cannons were once located.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Ever since her father left the fort almost a whole season ago, walking off into the darkening blue hills with both his hounds, never to return, her mother has taken to these long and aimless searches, sometimes with Brith and sometimes without.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fortress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortress. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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